Sir, - Having spent countless hours over more than 60 years urging that our country take advantage of its geographical position to plan seriously the development of a flourishing marine economy (often in letters and articles kindly printed in your paper), I would feel churlish not publicly to express my delight at Dr Michael Woods's decision to launch a £21 million survey of our off shore resources, as so ably outlined by your excellent Marine Correspondent, Lorna Siggins, on April 30th. Although Arthur Griffith, a founder of our State, was a strong advocate of developing an Irish maritime economy, he died before he could do anything about it. In three-quarters of a century since then, only four government ministers have taken important steps to help us profit from the sea around us.
Lemass (belatedly) gave us our own, national shipping concern and later a modern shipbuilding yard - both killed off by stupid later governments - and BIM, which, after he re-launched it in 1962, has presided over great improvement in our fishing industry and its substantial contribution to our national finances.
Haughey set up a Department of the Marine, which experts had been demanding for decades, and the Marine Institute, inaugurated to promote the study and application of Marine Sciences, and one of the principal instruments for accomplishing Dr Woods's survey.
Gilmore, when junior minister of the Marine Department, brought in legislation revitalising the administration of our ports and greatly helped the new Department to become a serious factor in the nation's life.
Dr Woods, from when he first became Minister, showed a determination above all to enrol the marine sciences in creating a dynamic modern Irish economy, but also went out of his way to help our maritime community, long left in isolation, to feel themselves a valued element in our society.
Ireland, having no foreign enemies, will be able, when Dr Woods's survey is complete, to play a practical part in implementing the far-seeing Law of the Sea of 1982 which declares the riches in and under the high seas to be the common heritage of mankind. Their exploitation will in time produce enough welath, if fairly distributed, to eliminate most of the disorder afflicting today's world, thus realising Thomas Aquinas's famous dictum that "the sea unites peoples, the land divides".
Ireland helped considerably to get the Law of the Sea drawn up and agreed (partly thanks to Mr Haughey's interest). Almost all the nations of the earth (130) have signed it. Only one major country will not. This is the United States, "because the . . . administration objected so strongly to the idea of sharing the wealth" (Anne McGinn, of the WorldWater Institute, Washington). But US absence need not obstruct our country from helping open up a new, for once non-violent, phase in human history. - Yours, etc.,
John De Courcy Ireland, Grosvenor Terrace, Dalkey, Co Dublin.